Mini Apple Pies with Cheddar

Here’s a healthy—and adorable—twist on deep-dish apple pie. This mini apple pie recipe will give you just a bit of something sweet and the melted wedge of Cheddar on top is a nod to the New England tradition of serving cheese with apple pie.

12 servings
|
Active Time: 1 hour |
Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

Crust

2/3 cup pecans

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups white whole-wheat flour (see Tip) or all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

Filling

4 large crisp, sweet apples, such as Honeycrisp or Gala, unpeeled, diced

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon white whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour

Topping

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 tablespoons white whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

12 small wedges Cheddar cheese (about 3 ounces)

Preparation

To prepare crust: Combine pecans, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add 13/4 cups flour; pulse to combine. With the motor running, add butter a few pieces at a time until well incorporated. Then add egg and water and process until starting to clump together. Using about 1/4 cup each, press the dough into the bottom and all the way up the sides of each muffin cup to form a crust. Prick the bottom with a fork.

Bake until the crusts are set and the edges are just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

To prepare filling: Combine apples, 1/3 cup brown sugar, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar melts, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the apples start to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon flour. Divide the filling among the crusts (about 2 tablespoons each).

Bake until the topping is beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and nestle a cheese wedge in the center of each pie. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each mini pie to loosen it, then gently pry from the muffin tin with a butter knife. Serve warm.

Tips & Notes

Bake with white whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, and whole-wheat pastry flour, milled from soft wheat and containing less gluten. Both provide the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Find them in large supermarkets, natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com and kingarthurflour.com. Store in the freezer.